Advisers okay signing of Bimstec convention on int'l terrorism
A meeting of the council of advisers with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday approved for signing Bimstec Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking.
In another major step, the meeting also approved the Citizenship (Amendment) Ordinance 2008 to interpolate the word 'mother' next to the existing word 'father' in section 5 of the number-2 law of the Citizenship Act 1951.
As a result of amending the citizenship law, if father or mother of a child is Bangladeshi during the baby's birth, the child will get the citizenship of Bangladesh.
Under the existing law, if husband of a Bangladeshi woman is a foreigner, their child cannot be a citizen of Bangladesh. Then, the child will have to follow the legal procedure for getting citizenship.
“The amendment has been made to the Citizenship Act 1951 to remove procedural difficulty and gender disparity,” says the statement on the background of necessity of bringing amendment to the existing Act.
To achieve the goal of the Bimstec convention, the member states of the sub-regional grouping, subject to the domestic rules and regulations and under the framework of convention, should provide “widest possible measures and mutual assistance in prevention, investigation, prosecution and suppression” of such crimes.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, CA's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim said the meeting also approved in principle Dhaka Shishu Hospital Ordinance 2008 subject to further examination by the law and health ministries.
After vetting, it will again be placed before the council of advisers at its meeting “as soon as possible”.
The cabinet division at the meeting placed the annual report of activities of different ministries and divisions for the fiscal 2007-08. The meeting directed the ministries to publish their respective annual reports.
Moreover, the council was apprised by Agriculture Adviser Dr CS Karim of enthusiastic observance of the first-ever National Agriculture Day, saying that much enthusiasm was found among farmers across the country.
CA's Special Assistant for Civil Aviation Ministry apprised the meeting of the latest position of hajj flights, saying, “Hajj flight operations are going on smoothly”.
Cultural Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury apprised the council of celebration of completion of 400 years of Dhaka through programmes from 2008 to 2010. The celebrations will be formally inaugurated on November 28.
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